Carpet and method of making same

ABSTRACT

THE METHOD OF MAKING A CARPET COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PERFORATING A PRIMARY BACKING, FEEDING THE PRIMARY BACKING TO A ROTABLE DRUM HAVING PERFORMATIONS REGISTRABLE WITH THE PERFORATIONS IN THE PRIMARY BACKING, PASSING YARN THROUGH THE PERFORATIONS IN THE PRIMARY BACKING AND DRUM TO FORM LOOPS IN THE YARN, AND LAMINATING A SECONDARY BACKING TO THE UNDERSURFACE OF THE PRIMARY BACKING.

' Feb. 23, 1971 A. G. GARVIN CARPET AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Feb. 21, 1968 FIG. 6.

INVENTOR. ALFRED G. GARVIN FIG.5.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent O 3,565,710 CARPET AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Alfred G. Garvin, 261 Maple Road, Longmeadow, Mass. 01106 Filed Feb. 21, 1968, Ser. No. 707,186 Int. Cl. Dc /04 US. Cl. 156-72 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The method of making a carpet comprising the steps of perforating a primary backing, feeding the primary backing to a rotatable drum having perforations registrable with the perforations in the primary backing, passing yarn through the perforations in the primary backing and drum to form loops in the yarn, and laminating a secondary backing to the undersurface of the primary backing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention The method of making composite looped or cut-pile carpets wherein yarn is looped through a nonwoven backing.

(2) Description of the prior art Conventional tufted carpet is made by threading yarn through a series of sharp penetrating needles and punching these needles through a primary backing of burlap or other suitable material. When these needles are being retracted they form a loop on the underside of the prirnary backing and the loops of yarn must be held in place so that they will not be pulled out of the material during the needle retraction. This is accomplished by using yarn jerkers which pass through the loop formations at the time of the needle retraction.

The penetrating needles tend to weaken the primary backing considerably, due to the fact that they do not always pass through the woof and weft of the woven backing, whereby the ends of the material are split.

In addition, the yarn jerkers place considerable strain on the yarn during needle retraction, since they must hold the loops of yarn on the underside of the backing material during this operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My invention relates to a new and improved method of making a carpet which obviates the disadvantages outlined above.

Herein, the penetrating needles and yarn jerkers are eliminated completely, thereby greatly simplifying the tufting process.

My invention utilizes a non-woven primary backing, such as polypropylene, or any similar suitable backing that can be perforated or punched. This material is passed through a punching station where a plurality of equispaced perforations is punched therein throughout the width thereof. The so-perforated primary backing is fed to a tufting station, where it meets a rotatable perforated cylinder, the perforations of which are registrable with the perforations of the primary backing. Yarn carriers or loopers carry the proper amount of yarn along yarn guides through the perforations in the primary backing and cylinder.

The primary backing remains in contact with the cylinder until half the circumference of the cylinder is filled with yarn. At this point a secondary backing, either woven or nonwoven, such as burlap or sponge rubber, or any similar suitable material that will add bulk, laden with a hot-melt adhesive, is applied under pressure to the back of the primary backing, sandwiching the back loops "ice of yarn between the two backings, laminating them together.

The yarn carriers or loopers of the invention are not threaded with yarn, as is the case with conventional 5 needles, and they are not required to have a sharp point, as they do not puncture the primary backing, as is the case in conventional yarn tufting, in order to make an opening for the yarn. The primary backing is perforated prior to the time that the yarn carriers pass therethrough, minimizing friction on both the primary backing and the yarn.

The yarn jerkers are eliminated. The yarn carriers carry the yarn in loop form as they enter the perforations in the primary backing, maintaining this loop formation during retraction due to the fact that the yarn is not threaded therein, wherefore they do not withdraw the yarn. Conventional tufting requires that the yarn jerkers hold the yarn loop in place during needle retraction, otherwise the threaded needle would pull the yarn out of the material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, crosssectional, side elevational view of one form of apparatus for performing the method of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary, part-sectional, side elevational view of a yarn looper of apparatus for performing the method of the invention, the looper being shown in yarn looping position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, the looper being shown in yarn feeding, nonlooping position;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the yarn looper of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view of a composite carpet formed by the method of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view of a modified form of apparatus for performing the method of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS At the outset, let it be understood that the invention hereof may be employed in the production of a tufted carpet, where the loops of the yarn are uncut, and a cutpile carpet, where the loops of the yarn are severed to provide a pile of individual strands.

Referring to FIG. 1, a sheet of non-woven primary backing 10 of polypropylene or similar material is fed from a roll 12 thereof to a punching subassembly, generally indicated by 14, where a plurality of equispaced, vertically-disposed punches 16, arranged transversely to the direction of travel of the primary backing, cut a row of perforations 18 transversely of the primary backing.

The punches are vertically reciprocable in guides 20 relative to a die 22 which may have a vacuum 24 disposed therebelow for carrying oif the waste cuttings.

From punching subassembly 14, the primary backing is fed to a looping subassembly generally indicated by 30 comprising, a hollow rotatable cylinder 32 having spaced, parallel, transversely-extending rows of equispaced perforations 34 therein, a plurality of yarn carriers or loopers 36 vertically-reciprocable into and out of the perforations in the primary backing and the drum, and a yarn guide 38 having a plurality of inclined channels 40 therein, each channel carrying a strand of yarn 42 and being aligned with the perforations in the primary backing and drum.

The forward lip 44 of yarn guide 38 overlies cylinder 32 and primary backing 10 adjacent the uppermost row of registered perforations 18 and 34 in the primary backing and cylinder respectively.

Accordingly, the strands of yarn 42 purchased by the yarn carriers 36 when the carriers are raised, are pushed downwardly in loop form through the perforations 18 and 34 when the yarn carriers are lowered.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, yarn carriers 36 cmprise a ringlike upper end 46, rotatably mounted in a semicircular bushing 48 sleeved in the lower face of a transversely-extending rise bar 50 disposed above cy1inder 32.

The yarn carriers depend from the lower surface of the rise bar and are spaced from one another by shoulders 52 on the upper end 46 thereof.

Spring-biasing means 54 tend to urge the yarn carriers to swing or pivot relative to bushing 48 when rise bar 50 is raised, the yarn carriers swinging within the channels 40 of the yarn guide to obtain a purchase on yarn strands 42.

When rise bar 50 is lowered, the yarn carriers slide downwardly relative to the yarn guide channels against the tension of the spring biasing means until the yarn strands are pushed through the aligned perforations in the primary backing and cylinder to form loops 56.

Any suitable means may be employed to raise and lower the rise bar, the movement of which will be timed to the movement of punches 16 and cylinder 32.

Perforations 18 in the primary backing are of smaller diameter than that of the yarn carriers, so that when the carriers are raised or retracted, the primay backing contracts, to pinch the yarn, binding it in such manner that it is not withdrawn when the yarn carriers are retracted.

The wall of cylinder 32 is of a predetermined thickness, which is determined by the carpet specifications. The cylinder wall is bored or drilled with the perforations 34 corresponding in number and placement to the perforations 18 in the primary backing. The perforations in the cylinder are slightly counter-bored to allow easy access for the yarn carriers on their entry through the primary backing and into the cylinder. Extra annular inserts 132, having perforations 134 therein (see FIG. 6), may be fitted one inside the other and within the cylinder to increase the pile height on carpet that calls for a different height than that of the wall of the cylinder, movement of rise bar 50 being varied accordingly. The inserts are ordinarily /8" thick but can be any thickness desired.

Assuming that the cylinder wall is /8 thick, and a carpet with /2" pile is desired, one 4; insert is added to the interior of the cylinder. Different pile-heights can be established simply by adding more inserts.

When looped carpet is being produced, the inserts may be allowed to remain in place within the cylinder.

However, when the loops are to be cut, as in the case with cut-pile carpets, the inserts are added or they are eliminated, as the loop must be cut at the various heights by a cutting element.

Such a cutting element is shown diagrammatically at 58 in FIG. 1 and may take the form of a sharp-edged band-saw, running the width of, and inside the cylinder, set close enough to shear off the loops 56 in the yarn. This operation may take place just before the carpet is drawn from the cylinder. A vacuum unit (not shown) may be placed over the cutting unit to carry the waste yarn away. On carpet not requiring shearing, cutting element 58 is raised, eliminating this operation.

The primary backing remains in contact with the cylinder until half the circumference of the cylinder is filled with yarn. At this point a secondary backing of any suit- 4 able material that will add bulk, laden with a hot-melt adhesive, is applied under pressure to the back of the primary backing, sandwiching the back loops of yarn between the two backings, laminating them together. The secondary backing may be woven, such as burlap, or nonwoven, such as sponge rubber, or the like.

A supply roll 60, rotating with a pair of idler rolls 61 carries the secondary backing '62.

The secondary backing is fed from supply roll 60, over a feed roll 64, between a pair of adjustment rolls 65 and over a hot-melt pick up roll 66.

Hot-melt pick up roll 66 is rotatably mounted in a heated trough 68 containing a supply of a hot-melt adhesive or thermoplastic resin, of commercially available type, having a softening point between 2102l6 F. and having a melting point between 3'20350 F.

From roll 66, the secondary backing advances to a rotating pressure roll 70, mounted in close-running relation to cylinder 32, the secondary backing, with a coating 72 of adhesive on the lower surface thereof, passing around pressure roll 70 so that coating 72 is brought into contact with the outer surface of the primary backing and the yarn extending outwardly therefrom. The pres sure roll laminates the secondary backing to the primary backing and sandwiches the yarn ends therebetween.

The composite carpet comprising the yarn and primary and secondary backings is now fed from pressure roll 70, around a feed roll 74 to a pair of driven rolls 76 which urge it into roll form.

The method of the invention produces a complete carpet in a continuous operation, no drying oven being necessary because of the use of the hot-melt adhesive, thereby eliminating the extra drying equipment necessary with conventional methods of tufting.

I claim:

1. The method of making a carpet comprising the steps of perforating a primary backing, feeding the primary backing to a rotatable hollow drum having perforations registrable with the perforations in the primary backing, pressing yarn through the perforations in the primary backing and drum by vertically-reciprocable spring-loaded yarn loopers registrable with the perforations in the primary backing and drum to form loops in the yarn, the yarn loopers operating in yarn guides overlying the perforations in the primary backing and drum, and laminating a secondary backing to the undersurface of the primary backing and so-looped yarn as they are removed from the drum.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,097,287 5/1914 Barry 156-72X 1,902,921 3/1933 Underwood 156435X 2,638,427 5/1953 Roberts 15672X 3,173,823 3/1965 Guinard 156-72X 3,240,176 3/1966 Morrison 15672X 3,266,969 8/1966 Makansi 15672X CARL D. QUARFORTH, Primary Examiner S. HELLMAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R, 15 6435 

